Close to Home
by xJacksGirlx
Summary: The teams latest case hits a little too close to home for them, especially Jack
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own Without a Trace or any of the characters from it, nor do I have any affiliation with it.

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Danny Taylor and Martin Fitzgerald stood in the car lot of the motel, waiting for Jack Malone to arrive. They knew he was not going to be impressed with the lack of knowledge that they had on this particular case. Jack had arrived late for work that morning and had been in a bad mood ever since, but nobody could get him to tell them why.

Jack's car pulled up and he climbed out of it.

"Okay, what we got?"

"Woman checked in at about 11 last night with two young girls," Danny began. "She left at about 2am, leaving the girls in the room. Guy at reception saw her leaving, when she hadn't returned by 9, he knocked on the door and one of the kids said they weren't supposed to leave until he got their dad. He had no way of getting dad, so he called it in."

"What's the name of the missing woman?"

"We don't know. He said she didn't want to give her name so he put down Jane Doe and she paid in cash."

"That's all we have? No names or anything?" Jack questioned. "How come we've been called in?"

"It _is _a missing persons report. Technically two, seeing as we have to find both parents."

"Fine," Jack sighed. "First step then, is to talk to the kids. Ask them if mom told them anything else. Which room are they in?"

Martin signalled to one of the rooms and Jack walked over, Danny and Martin following him.

Jack knocked on the door.

"Hi. My name's Jack. I'm trying to find your parents. But I need your help. I know mom told you to wait till your dad came, but I really need you to open the door for me. Please."

Jack heard the door unlocking and it was slowly opened. He had seen a lot of things in his time as an FBI agent, but nothing had prepared him for what he saw in front of him now.

He looked down at the girl who had opened the door then glanced past to the girl on the bed.

Danny, seeing Jack frozen in shock and getting no reply when he asked what was wrong, pushed past him to see for himself.

"Oh my God."

……………………

Samantha Spade and Vivian Johnson climbed out of the car and walked over to Danny and Martin.

"Where's Jack?" Samantha asked.

"He's with the kids, comforting them," Martin told her. "They're pretty shaken up."

"We got any names for the kids, yet?" Vivian asked. "Or better still, the parents."

"All four." Martin continued. "Girls names, Hannah and Kate Malone. Father's name is Jack Malone."

Vivian looked across at the room. She saw Jack sitting on the bed, Hannah beside him and Kate on his knee.

"That means," she said, "the missing woman is Maria."


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: still don't own it.

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Samantha was talking to the desk clerk of the motel.

"Can you tell me anything about how Mrs Malone was acting? Was she angry? Upset? Scared?"

"She was scared," he said. "And upset. I think she'd been crying, but I couldn't really tell because of the black eye."

"The what?"

"The black eye. Looked like somebody socked her pretty bad."

"Which eye was it on?"

"Left one, I think."

"Did she say anything about being attacked or having a fight with someone?"

"No. all she said was she needed a room for her and her kids, she didn't want to give her name, and then paid in cash. She was real nervous though. Kept looking behind her, like she thought someone was following her."

"Okay. Thanks for your help."

Samantha put her notebook away and went back to her car.

She was not looking forward to sharing this information.

……………………

Paula Van Doren walked over to Vivian.

"Hey, Viv. Where's Jack?"

"In his office."

"How is he?"

"How do you think?

Van Doren walked over to Jack's office, bracing herself before entering. Jack was on the couch with Kate and Hannah, trying to keep them occupied while the team searched for their mother.

"Hi, Jack. Can I talk to you? Outside."

Jack told the girls that he would just be a minute and followed Van Doren out into the corridor.

"What is it?"

"Jack, I know this is a hard time for you. But I have to inform you that, in keeping with FBI protocol, I have to remove you and your team from this case."

"No."

"You know the rules, you aren't supposed to be on the case if it's a family member."

"Screw the rules Paula. I want my team on this. I'll sit back and let them do it alone, fine. Viv can take over as team leader. But I want them to be the ones out looking for her. I trust them. I trust only them, to bring her back to me."

"The rest of the agents are just as good and dedicated."

"I have worked with you for years. Followed protocol to the letter, all along the way and now I want you to bend the rules a little, just this once, and you won't budge an inch? Not really fair is it?"

"Fine. Have it your way. But if I think that personal feelings are getting in the way then your team will be off the case so fast that it will make your head spin. Got it?"

"Got it."

……………………

Samantha entered the office and motioned Viv to one side, away from Danny and Martin.

"I talked to the desk clerk at the motel. He said Maria had a black eye."

"What?"

"A black eye. He also said she was upset and scared and looked like she thought someone was following her."

"Who else have you told about this?"

"No-one."

"Good. We'll tell Danny and Martin. But, at least for now, we don't tell Jack. He's got enough to deal with."

"Okay."

……………………

Van Doren called Viv, Danny, Martin and Samantha together.

"I just spoke to Jack. As you all know, I'm sure, procedure dictates that as it is Jack's wife that is missing, you should not be the team to work this case."

"You can't be serious?" Martin questioned.

"However, we have decided that Jack is stepping down as team leader, just for this investigation, and Agent Johnson is in charge."

"Me? Why me?"

"Jack trusts you. He trusts you all. He said you were the only team he trusted to find her. So, as of now, Vivian is the boss and Jack is just another man whose wife has gone missing. But the case WILL be reassigned if the lines between professional and personal get blurred."

Van Doren walked away, leaving the team shocked.

……………………

Jack returned to the office, having dropped the girls off at Maria's sister's house. Danny was shocked to see him.

"Jack, what are you doing here? I thought you went home."

"Just cause I'm not on the case doesn't mean I can't hang around. Any leads?"

"Nothing yet. You should go home. We got everything under control."

"I want to stay here. Where is everyone?"

"Vivian's at Maria's firm, talking to her colleagues and Sam and Martin went to your building to see if any of your neighbours have seen her. How are the girls?"

"Worried. They're pretty confused."

"And how are you?"

"Pretty much the same."

"You sure you don't want to be with them? We'll call you if anything turns up."

"I don't think I can face them. It's my job to find people and I can't find their mother."

Danny's mobile rang. He was thankful. He didn't know what to say to Jack.

"Danny Taylor."

"It's Viv. Where are you?"

"At the office."

"Is Jack back yet?"

"Yeah, why?"

"If he's within earshot, walk away from him."

"Okay. Hold on."

Danny stood up and did as he was told. Jack didn't notice. He was too busy staring at the picture of his wife on the board.

When he was out in the corridor, Danny stopped.

"Okay, Viv. What is it?"

"The police found Maria's car. It was left at the side of the road."

"Any sign of a struggle?"

"I don't know. I'm gonna head over. Meet me down there."

"Okay. Gimme the location."

Viv told him and he went back to his desk. He picked up his jacket and went to walk away.

"Where you going?" Jack asked stopping him in his tracks. "Did a lead come in?"

"Erm, that was Viv. She needs me to go get her. Her car won't start."

Danny hurriedly left the office before Jack could question him further. He hated lying to him, his boss and his friend, but it was important that Jack didn't get in the way.


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: still not mine, although am now planning to steal it, bit by bit. Starting with Jack.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this.

To answer SpyMaster's question, this is set before the end of series two. Jack and Maria are still together.

……………………

"There doesn't appear to be any sign of a struggle or any blood or anything. She probably just abandoned the car," Danny said.

Viv was confused. "What the hell is going on? First she leaves the kids alone in a motel and then she dumps her car. We gotta talk to Jack. Ask him if he knows why she was checking into a motel."

"Jack knows how things work. If he knew anything that we needed to know, he would tell us. Right?"

"We've been putting off talking to Jack because he's our friend. But remember what Van Doren said. For the moment, Jack is not an FBI agent. He's just another guy whose wife has gone missing. And she also said that if personal feelings get in the way, we're off the case. We can't do that to Jack."

"So we gotta question him."

"Yeah."

……………………

Viv and Danny had made their way back to the office, where Samantha and Martin were waiting for them.

Viv glanced over to Jack's office where he stood looking out of the window. He didn't appear to be looking at anything, just sort of staring. It broke Viv's heart. She and Jack had been friends for a long time. She hated seeing him so lost.

"You find out anything at Jack's building?" she asked Samantha.

"Yeah. A couple of the neighbours reported hearing Jack and Maria arguing last night. They heard yelling and shouting and screaming but none of them could make out what they were saying. One of them also said that Maria was in the building just after 8 this morning. She ran out yelling 'Get back here Jack' and various profanities. She got outside, jumped into her car and drove off at speed."

"Why the hell didn't he tell us? Danny go and get him out here."

Danny went and got Jack. When Jack reached them, they could all tell that he had been crying, but they ignored it. In their heads, they all reminded themselves that they had to remain objective.

"Jack, sit down."

Jack sat down at the table and Viv took the seat opposite him.

"What is it? Have you found something?"

"Samantha talked to your neighbours. Some of them reported that they heard you and Maria arguing last night. We need you to tell us what about."

"It was nothing. Marital stuff."

"Jack, you gotta tell us."

"I said it was nothing."

"You can't keep anything back. If that argument had anything to do with Maria's disappearance, then you have to tell us."

"It was nothing."

"If you don't tell us, then we have to report to Van Doren and tell her that you aren't being straight forward with us and the investigation is reassigned. I know you don't want that, so why don't you forget that we are your friends and tell us what the hell you were arguing about!"

Jack was silent for a moment. She was right. If they had to be objective then so did he. He had to tell them.

"I told her that I had had an affair, that I had been unfaithful. I had a relationship with another woman and I fell in love with her. It's over now and I was committed to Maria. But that wasn't good enough for her so she left. She took the girls and she left me."

"Did you try to stop her?"

"Of course I did."

"Did you hit her?"

"What?"

"She had a black eye when she checked into the motel. Did you do it?"  
"Of course not. How can you even ask me that?"

"I've seen you lose your temper before. I saw you throwing stuff at the guy from OPR. Your wife leaving with your kids is gonna make you pretty pissed off."

"I would never hit her."

"Why didn't you tell us that she came back this morning?"

"Because she didn't."

"Someone saw her leave your apartment a little after 8, shouting after you."

"I haven't seen her since she left last night. Whoever said I have is mistaken. Any more questions or can I go back to my office?"

"Did you tell her who the other woman was?"

"Yes."

"We need to know. Maria may have gone to have it out with her."

"She hasn't. I would know if she had."

"Jack."

"I said she hasn't. I'll tell you if I need to, but right now, I don't think it's important that you know."

Jack stood up and left the table, storming back to his office. The other agents stood shocked.

"Jack had an affair?" Martin said.

"Apparently so," said Danny.

"And Maria knows," said Sam. "Viv, do you really think he hit her?"

"I don't know," said Viv. "We need to know who the other woman was. The most likely thing at the moment is that Maria has gone to confront her."

"How do we get it out of him though?" asked Danny.

"I've got no idea. It's pretty obvious that he doesn't want us all to know. He doesn't want us to think any less of him. Maybe we could get him to call her and tell her to go somewhere safe until we…"

She was cut off by the sound of glass smashing behind them. They turned around to see what had happened. The usually cool and collected Jack, the boss they turned to, to keep his head in a crisis, had thrown a chair through his glass office door and was now sitting on the floor crying.

……………………

A/N I actually started work on this before the end of series two was shown over here in sunny old England, so I didn't know that Jack and Maria split up and that Martin found out about Jack and Sam and Viv knew already knew about it. However in this, nobody knows. Well, now they do, but you know what I mean!


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: alas, the police foiled my plan and I still do not own it!

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Danny took a step towards Jack's office, but Viv put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Let me go," she said.

Viv made her way to his office, carefully walking over the broken glass.

Once inside, she sat beside him, comforting him until the tears stopped.

"Feeling better now?" she asked.

She got no reply. Taking his arm, she pulled him off the floor, guided him over to the couch and sat him down. She hated this, treating one of her closest friends like a vulnerable child. But she was patient with him. She was one of the people who knew him best. She gave him a tissue to dry his eyes.

"You'd better get this mess cleared up, Malone."

Jack gave her a half-hearted smile. She returned the smile and excused herself to get him a glass of water. When she returned, she sat silently while he drank it and regained his composure.

"Jack, talk to me." She spoke softly, slipping from colleague mode into friend mode.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"I just feel so useless. Day in, day out, I go out on the streets and look for missing people, and now, when it's my own wife, I'm not allowed to."

"I know. But you can help us. I understand why you don't want to tell us who this other woman was, but we gotta know."

"Viv, trust me."

"Only if you trust me."

"Maria hasn't gone to see her."

"How can you be sure?"

"It's someone who works in the building. I've seen her today. She's fine."

Reluctantly, Viv gave in.

"Okay, Jack. I'll take your word for it."

"Thanks."

"One more thing. We need your apartment key. We have to do a search."

Jack handed over his key.

Viv left him alone and went to get the rest of the team to go to Jack's apartment.

Jack stood up and went over to his desk. He picked up a photograph of Maria. He stared at her smiling face.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

…………………..

It was surreal. Jack was sitting in his office watching a news appeal for witnesses to a car being abandoned.

He'd done it a thousand times before but this time it was different.

This time it was his wife.

He had always had sympathy for the families of missing people. Had always wondered what they felt when they saw their loved ones on the news.

This time he wondered if they felt what he was feeling.

Numb. Removed. Distant.

……………………

The team stood outside the door to Jack's apartment.

None of them wanted to do this. It was a part of the job that they all felt uneasy about. Going into a persons home and looking through their belongings.

This time though, they weren't just feeling uneasiness.

For some reason, the felt guilty too.

Viv turned round to face the rest of the team.

"Ready?" she asked.

They nodded.

Viv turned back to the door and pushed the key into the lock.

She opened the door and the agents stepped in.

"Oh my God."

The agents stood in the doorway.

The apartment was a mess. Furniture was broken, books had been thrown across the room, and ornaments smashed, and in the middle of the room lay Jack and Maria's wedding picture, the frame smashed and the photograph torn.

It looked like a huge fight had taken place in this room.


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: still not mine: (

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Danny and Martin were sitting at the conference table.

"I don't understand," said Danny. "Jack told us that they argued, but he didn't tell us that they ended up throwing stuff. Why not? It's hardly something he's gonna forget."

"I could be," said Martin. "Technically, he didn't tell us about the argument. He told us what it was about. And he only told us that after Viv pushed him. Then she accused him of hitting Maria."

"What are you saying? That it's Viv's fault that he didn't tell us."

"No. What I'm saying is, at that point, going into detail about the argument was probably the last thing on his mind. He would have been more concerned that somebody, particularly a close friend and colleague, thought he would hit his wife."

"What about when she got the key off him? He knew all four of us would be going into his apartment. Why didn't he tell us then?"

"He was in one hell of an emotional state. He was hardly gonna say 'By the way, the place is a mess'. He threw a chair through his door, for god's sake. He's obviously not in his normal frame of mind. We've had people too emotional to tell us every little detail before."

Viv returned from the coffee machine and sat down at her desk.

"But it's not really a little detail," continued Danny. "It's a pretty big detail. The apartment was trashed."

"It's a big detail to us. But to Jack, whose wife dumped their kids and then disappeared, it's a little detail."

"I thought you two were out of the bickering phase," Viv said.

"We're not bickering," said Danny. "We're debating."

The phone on Viv's desk rang.

"Agent Johnson."

Danny and Martin watched her silently.

"Okay, thanks. I'll send someone down."

She put the receiver down and turned back to them. "Danny, there's a guy down stairs who says he saw Maria abandon the car."

"I'm on it," said Danny as he left he table and headed down stairs.

……………………

Samantha walked into the office carrying a videotape.

"There is a bank across from where Maria left the car," said Sam. "Which has a security camera that picked up the entire thing."

"You watched it yet?" asked Martin.

"No, I was just going to. You coming?"

"Yeah."

In the dark of the tech room, Samantha put the video into the machine. She and Martin watched in silence.

Maria's car sped up the road and swerved round in front of another car forcing to come to a stop. She got out and went round to the front passenger side of the other car. She argued with the unseen driver of the other car as it tried to drive away. She climbed into the passenger seat just before the driver took off at speed.

They watched the footage twice more before Martin used one of the computers to enhance the licence plate on the other car.

Sam read the number and quickly walked to her desk.

She looked it up on her computer to see who the car was registered to.

Her fears were confirmed.

……………………


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: never has been mine, probably never will be.

……………………

Danny walked over to Samantha's desk.

"Sam," he said. "Do me a favor and run this licence plate for me."

His gut was telling him that he knew whose car his witness saw Maria get into, but he needed to be sure. Sam looked at the paper and then she looked him straight in the eye.

"No need," she said. "It's the same one we got off the security camera tape. I just ran it."

He looked at the computer screen behind her that confirmed what he already knew.

The car was registered to Jack Malone.

He told Viv what the witness saw. She gave him the task he really did not want - to lead the search of Jack's car.

No matter how objective he was he couldn't bring himself to join in the search. He was afraid of what he might find.

Jack was his mentor, a man who had faith in him no matter what.

Danny respected him, looked up to him. So he stood back and supervised while others searched.

He knew Jack would understand that Danny was just doing his job, doing what he had to do; even so, he felt it was going against their friendship.

Danny was snapped out of his thoughts by one of the agents calling him over.

"Agent Taylor, you might want to take a look at this."

……………………

Samantha was sitting at her desk, mindlessly spinning from side to side on her chair. She looked at the whiteboard and sighed.

This investigation was pulling her in two directions.

On the one hand, there were suggestions that Jack wasn't being straightforward with them. Usually, that meant that somebody was hiding something.

On the other hand, this was Jack. Their supervising agent and their friend. The man who, once upon a time, she had loved. The man who had risked his family and his job to be with her.

She turned around completely and saw Viv and Danny talking.

Viv walked over to her. Sam recognised the look on Viv's face. She had seen it too many times before. Something was wrong.

Sam fought back tears as she drove back to Jack's apartment. The agents searching Jack's car had found blood in the trunk. She had to go and get Maria's hairbrush for a DNA sample.

Walking through Jack's apartment felt strange. They had worked together for a long time, building up a close friendship along the way, but until today, she had never been inside his home.

She picked up Maria's hairbrush and slipped it into an evidence bag.

On the way out, she saw a picture of Jack and the girls. She knew that they meant everything to him and that he would never do anything to hurt them.

But she also knew that anyone who tried to take them from him would be in serious trouble.

……………………

Martin was at the coffee machine. He wasn't sure why, but he always seemed to need more caffeine when he was worried about something.

He had drunk a lot of coffee today.

He was worried about Maria, but he was worried about Jack too.

He and Jack had had their disputes but they had developed a mutual respect for each other. Jack had had misgiving when Martin joined the team. That much was clear to everyone.

What wasn't clear was whether it was because he was Victor Fitzgerald's kid or that Martin might expect special treatment because of his family ties.

As it turned out, Jack was the first to realise that Martin was determined to be an agent in his own right, not just coast on his father's reputation.

The phone on his desk rang.

"Agent Fitzgerald." He gulped his coffee as he listened. "I'll be right down."

He put the phone down and went to reception. The receptionist directed him to a man in the waiting area. Martin introduced himself and led him back up to the office. They sat facing each other.

"You said you had some information about Maria Malone?" Martin said.

"Yeah," the man said. "I saw her on the news and thought I should come talk to you."

"Did you see her leave the car?"

"No. I saw her in a bar last night."

"What time was this?"

"About 2:30. She was drinking neat whisky. She had a black eye and she looked pretty shaken up so I went to see if she was okay. I thought she'd been mugged or something."

"What did she say? Did she tell you how she got the black eye?"  
"She said it was her husband. She said she tried to leave and he hit her."

"Are you absolutely sure it was her?"

"Completely. She told me her name."

"Did she say where she was going? What she was doing?"

"She said she'd taken her kids somewhere where he couldn't hurt them and that she was going back to see him."

"Damn it."

"What?"

"Never mind. Thanks for your help."

……………………

Viv was sitting at the conference table, a manila folder lying in front of her.

She was not having a good day.

It started off with somebody she cared about deeply going through a personal hell. She was witnessing him living one of his personal nightmares and there was nothing she could do to help.

Then it got worse when evidence started piling up and they had to start treating him as a suspect.

Danny had spoken to a witness who saw Maria get into Jack's car and they had a security camera tape to confirm it. The driver fitted Jack's description, male, middle aged with dark hair. Maria had even been heard to call him Jack a couple of times. Maria told some guy in a bar that Jack was the one that gave her the black eye.

Blood was found in Jack's car.

She had in front of her the results of the DNA test.

This folder would tell them whether it was Maria's blood or not.

If she ever found the strength to open it, that is.

She was a senior agent. It would have been easy for her to get a supervisory position but she didn't want to leave Jack. They worked well together. They both knew the pressures of having a family and a job that played havoc with routine. They leant on each other for support and understanding.

There were two things that defined Jack. The fact that he was an FBI agent and the fact that he was a father.

Viv knew that he would go to any lengths to protect both of these aspects of his life.

But would he go this far?

Danny, Martin and Samantha joined her at the table.

They all knew what was in the folder she was staring at.

They prayed silently as Viv took a deep breath and opened the folder.

……………………

Jack was pacing around his office. He knew something was wrong.

He could see the rest of the team sharing worried looks. Viv and Martin appeared to be angry. Danny and Sam just looked anxious.

He hoped they hadn't found something bad. Nobody would tell him anything. They just kept asking him to stay in his office, out of the way.

He was usually the one in control, the one who kept order. But now he was just being kept away.

Placated. Patronized almost.

He saw the team sitting around the table with a folder. Viv opened it and said something. Samantha started to cry. Martin slammed his fist on the table.

He saw Viv leave the table and walk over to another agent. They spoke for a moment before the agent, Agent Green, came over to the office.

"Mr Malone," he said. "Would you follow me please?"

Mr Malone? That wasn't right. He was always Jack or Agent Malone.

There was only one reason he could think of that would deem a Mr – being taken to ID his wife's body.

Agent Green stopped outside the interrogation room and opened the door.

Jack walked in.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"Another agent will be in, in a moment," Agent Green said before closing the door.

Jack was left alone. He was confused.

Why did they want to talk to him? More to the point, why did they want to do it in the interrogation room?

Surely today couldn't get any worse.


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: still ain't mine.

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Jack found it amazing how different a room could look from just the other side of a table.

In the time he had worked here, this was the first time he had ever been in the interrogation room alone.

He found it disconcerting, wondering if anyone was on the other side of the two-way mirror.

He had been waiting for someone to come and talk to him for 10 minutes.

He sighed and tipped his head back. The door opened and he sat up straight.

"Danny, what the hell is going on?" Jack was getting impatient.

"We have a few questions for you, Mr Malone," said Danny, closing the door and sitting down.

Mr Malone again. Something was definitely wrong.

"When was the last time you saw your wife?" Danny asked.

"I told you. When she walked out on me last night."

"I know what you told me. Now I want to know the truth."

"That is the truth, Agent Taylor."

"We have a witness who says she followed you out of your apartment building this morning."

"They're either lying or mistaken."

"What about the witness who says that when she got out of her car she got into yours?"

"What?"

"Or how about the video tape that confirms it? Is that lying?"

"I have not seen my wife since she left me."

"After she left the motel, she went to a bar where she told some guy that you were the one who gave her the black eye."

"And I told Viv that I didn't. All that happened was that we argued and then she got Hannah and Kate out of bed and walked out."

"Your daughters were still in bed?"

"Yes."

"They didn't come through to see what all the noise was?"

"No. I am ashamed to say that the girls are used to me and their mother shouting."

"Are they used to stuff being thrown too?"

"What are you talking about? Nobody threw anything."

"Nobody threw anything? I've been in your apartment today. There's hardly anything there that wasn't thrown or damaged in some way."

Jack was silent.

"Why aren't you being straight with us?"

"I've told you everything I know."

"You say you didn't hit her. She told someone you did. You say you only shouted. We have a trashed apartment that says otherwise. One witness says she was in your building this morning. Another witness, who is backed up by a security camera, says she got into your car. You deny she was in either of these places. All day you've been denying things or contradicting our information. Usually, that means somebody is hiding something."

Jack remained silent, his head hanging.

"How did Maria's blood get into your trunk?"

Jack slowly lifted his head till he was looking Danny right in the eye.

"What?"

"We found blood in your car. A DNA test confirmed that it's Maria's. How do you explain that?"

"I can't."

"Why were you late for work this morning?"  
"My car ran out of gas."

"Interesting. Your wife goes missing and you run out of gas, making you late for what, the first time ever? You wanna know what I think? I think you and your bit on the side wanted to be together and Maria told you that you had to choose between your mistress and your family. You wanted the girl and the kids so you got rid of the wife. That's why you won't give us her name. You wanna protect her. Am I right?"

Something inside Jack snapped. They already thought that he was a suspect. But he didn't want them to think anything like that about her.

And surely they still believed in her word?

He sank back in his chair, closing his eyes so he couldn't see Danny's reaction.

"Samantha," he said barely above a whisper.

"What was that?"  
"Samantha," he said louder. "Samantha Spade."

……………………

Viv called Martin over to her desk.

"Got a job for you," she said. "Somebody from Maria's firm just called and said they found something we should see."

"Okay," he said. "I'll take Sam with me."

"Okay."

Danny walked through the office, throwing his notes from the interview with Jack onto his desk.

Without saying a word, he went out onto the balcony.

He grabbed hold of the railing so tight it made his knuckles white.

Danny had always had a direct way of questioning suspects. He just never thought he would have to use it on Jack.

Without a doubt it was the hardest interview he had ever had to conduct.

He turned around and leant against the railing, his arms folded tightly across his chest.

He stayed there until he saw Samantha walk into the office and went back in.

"Did you get anything out of him?" asked Viv.

"Yes and no," said Danny. "No, he's not admitting to anything." He paused as he turned and fixed his gaze on Sam. "Yes, he told me who he had an affair with."

Martin and Viv looked at her and Samantha looked at the floor.

"It was you?" Martin said.

Samantha nodded, not taking her eyes from the ground. Danny continued to stare at her. They were close friends. He thought he knew her. He couldn't believe that she would do something so stupid. She had risked her job, Jack's job, his family, and the team's reputation.

Viv was disappointed with Jack more than she was with Samantha. She knew that he and Maria had their share of problems, but he still had an obligation to his family.

Martin said it would be better if he went to Maria's firm alone so he excused himself quickly and quietly.

He had had a crush on Samantha since his first day. As he grew to know her it intensified. He knew that, if he ever got the chance, he could let himself fall in love with her.

He felt something stronger than jealousy. He almost felt betrayed. As if, without realizing it, she had cheated on him.

Samantha felt embarrassed. She could feel Danny and Viv's eyes still on her. She wanted to walk away from them, run away to be exact, but she couldn't seem to move.

"At least now we know why he wouldn't tell us who you were," said Danny.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Viv.

"Jack didn't want you to know," she mumbled. "I thought it would make it worse if I told you."

"Make it worse?" said Danny. "You do realise you may have just incriminated yourself, don't you?"

"What? How?"

"One of the theories that we're working through is that Jack bumped off Maria with the help of his mistress. That would be you, Sam."

"You think I would do something like that? You think Jack would?"

"We don't know what to think," said Viv.

……………………

Martin returned to the office to find the other agents sitting silently at their desks.

This case was tearing the team apart. Turning five people who had been through so much together against each other.

This was the first time in his career that he had been working with people who saw him as more than his father's son. He didn't want to lose the feeling of acceptance.

At that moment, he became even more determined to prove Jack's innocence.

"Hey," he said.

Viv turned to look at him.

"Hey," she said. "What did you get?"

"This."

He dropped an evidence bag onto the conference table. In it was a cheque and a note.

"What is it?" asked Danny.

"One of the partners at the firm found it in the safe a while ago. 10,000 was missing. In its place was a cheque for the same amount and a note. Both signed by Maria."

"What does the note say?" asked Sam.

Viv picked it up and read it aloud.

"I'm sorry that I have to do this but it is the only way I have at the moment. I need some money and it's too late to get it out of the bank. I am leaving my husband. I am taking my daughters and we are going to start a new life but I need money. I can't wait till tomorrow because the sooner we leave, the further we get away and the sooner we will be safe. I hope you understand. Maria Malone.

……………………

Viv walked into Van Doren's office.

"You wanted to see me," she said.

"Yes," replied Van Doren. "Sit down, Agent Johnson."

Viv took the seat opposite her.

"What is it?"

"I want to know why you haven't arrested Jack Malone yet."

"Excuse me?"

"Jack Malone. Why hasn't he been arrested?"

"On what charges?"  
"Suspicion of murdering his wife."

"Because I'm still not sure we have grounds for arrest. Even on suspicion of murder."

"Okay, Agent Johnson. Let's put it this way. Imagine this is some other guy. He argues with his wife. She leaves with their children. She checks into a motel with a black eye, which she later tells someone he gave her. We have proof that she is planning to leave him for good and start over somewhere new – with their kids. She goes missing and the last place she was seen was getting into his car after another row. We search his car and find blood. Her blood. What do you do?"

Viv sighed heavily.

"Arrest him."


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: not mine. Wish it was.

……………………

Viv had been standing there for a while, watching Jack through the two-way mirror.

She couldn't help wondering what was going through his head.

They had witnesses who said that Jack had seen his wife twice since she left him but he claimed it wasn't true.

Somebody was lying.

But who?

Jack sat completely still, apart from the index finger of his right hand, which he drummed incessantly on the table.

Viv walked in, closing the door behind her.

Jack lifted his head to look at her. They held eye contact, an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air.

His knowledge of law enforcement and the ability he had to read Viv told him what was coming.

She had done this a hundred times before but it took her a while to find the words this time.

She swallowed the lump in her throat before she spoke.

"Jack Malone, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Maria Malone."

……………………

"If Jack really killed Maria," said Martin. "Why would he be so insistent that we stay on the case?"

"Maybe," said Danny. "Because he thought that we wouldn't suspect him. Or he thought we would turn a blind eye. He's seen us do it before."

"Yeah, but never for something this big. Plus he would know what we'd be looking for. He would have done a better job of covering his tracks."

"But he didn't. We have 2 witnesses, a videotape and blood evidence."

Martin sighed. He was getting frustrated.

Was the only one who still had faith in Jack?

Viv came back into the office and sat at the table. She wasn't tired but all she wanted to do was go home to bed.

"Martin, I need you to do me a favor," she said. Even as she spoke, she still wasn't sure that this was a good idea. But Jack was still her friend and she figured, no matter what he may have done, she owed it to him to grant his request.

Martin nodded and left the table.

"Hey, Jack," he said as he opened the door. "You ready?"

"Yeah." It was strangely comforting to be called 'Jack' again.

Jack followed him out of the room and back to his office.

"I erm…I can leave you alone in here, but I have to wait right outside the door." Martin felt bad about the way he was treating Jack. But, whatever his personal feelings, he was dealing with a suspect under arrest.

"Okay," said Jack as he sat down. He wasn't particularly bothered that Martin would be outside. He was just thankful that Viv was letting him do this.

He picked up the phone and dialled. He could see Martin outside the door looking very uncomfortable. Maria's sister answered after 5 rings.

"Hi, it's Jack. Can you put Hannah on, please?"

He was nervous as he waited for his daughter to come to the phone.

"Daddy?" she said.

"Hey Hannah."

"When are you coming home?"

"I don't know. I'm still at the office." Technically he wasn't lying.

"Have you found Mommy, yet?"

"No, not yet. Listen, okay. I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too, Daddy."

"Remember that. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Is Kate there?"

"She's asleep."

"When she wakes up, tell her 'Daddy loves her'. I gotta go now, Hannah. Don't forget what I said."

"I won't."

"Look after your sister. Bye."

"Bye, Daddy."

He put the phone down and Martin took him back to the interrogation room.

Once inside, Jack sat and cried.

……………………

Samantha was on the balcony, staring out at the city.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, listening to the sounds of the traffic below.

She didn't notice Martin had come out until he spoke.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Just thinking."

"About Jack?"

"Yeah." She was quiet for a moment. "We never meant for it to happen you know. The affair. It just sort of…did."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I know. But I wanted somebody to know that. And that I feel bad that it happened."

"Okay."

"Martin, do you think he did it?"

"No, I don't. Do you?"

"No. But how can we prove it?"

"I honestly don't know."

They both fell silent. Samantha had a feeling he was going to ask about the affair and she couldn't face questions about that right now.

"Anyway," she said. "It's cold out here. You coming back in?"

"In a minute."

Samantha went back to her desk and began looking through the case-file, trying to find something they could use to prove Jack's innocence, when her phone rang.

"Agent Spade."

"There's a woman down here at reception who just asked to speak to you. It sounds pretty important."

"I'll be right down."

As she travelled down in the elevator, Sam tried to pull herself together, tried to put all thoughts of Jack out of her head.

Once she was in the lobby, she put on the best fake smile she could manage and walked over to the reception desk.

"Hi. Who is it that wants to talk to me?" she said.

"She's in the waiting area, Agent Spade," the receptionist said, smiling.

Sam turned round. The waiting area was empty.

She turned back to the receptionist.

"There's nobody there," she said, confused.

"She was there a moment ago."

Samantha pulled out her cell-phone and dialled Martin's extension.

"Agent Fitzgerald."

"Martin, it's Samantha."

"Where are you?"

"At reception. A woman asked to talk to me but she's not here anymore. I thought she might have come up there."

"Nobody's been up here."

"Okay. I'll wait down here a bit longer. See if she shows up."

Before Martin had a chance to say anything else, he heard Samantha scream.

……………………

A/N Sorry this chapter took so long. I've been suffering from writers block! Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter up quicker. But, in the meantime, review this one. Please. Reviews make me happy!


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: without a trace is not mine. That makes me cry. A lot.

……………………

"God, you're such a cliché, Jack," said Maria. "The middle aged guy who spends all his time at the office and ends up leaving his family for the pretty young blonde he works with."

"I'm not leaving my family," Jack said. "I just thought you had a right to know."

"A right to _know_? What about my right to expect fidelity in the first place?"

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Jack. This wasn't a one night stand with some woman you met in a bar. You fell in love with somebody you work with everyday. What happens a couple of months down the line if you decide you'd rather be with her? Will you start seeing her behind my back again or will you just up and leave?"

"I'm not going to decide I'd rather be with Samantha. I am staying right here with you. I promise."

"Yeah, you also promised to be faithful. Right now, your promises mean nothing."

"Give me another chance, I'm begging you. We can work through this."

"No. No, I'm tired of fighting for a marriage that you don't care about."

"I do care. I love you."

"Obviously not enough."

……………………

Maria spent an hour driving around the city with Hannah and Kate in the back seat, waiting for them to fall asleep.

She and Jack had been married for 12 years. They had two children.

How could he do what he did and just expect her to forgive and forget?

She wanted to make him pay for it.

She wanted to make him sorry that he had ever met Samantha Spade.

When she was sure that the girls were sound asleep, she went to the nearest payphone. She called one of her clients, Tim Barret, and arranged to meet him.

……………………

Maria looked into the mirror of her powder compact, examining the bruise that was starting to come up around her eye.

"Are you sure they're gonna believe he did that?" asked Tim.

"I'm sure," said Maria. "Everybody knows how important the kids are to him and that he has a temper. If I tell the police that I tried to leave with the kids, they'll believe me. It'll ruin his reputation and he'll really be sorry for screwing around."

"You really want to hurt him, don't you?"

"Yes."

"If you truly want to destroy his reputation, there is another way."

……………………

"Hannah. Hannah, wake up sweetie."

"Mommy?" Hannah said, still half asleep.

"Hannah, listen to me. I have to go out. I'm gonna leave you and Kate here, but you have to promise me that neither of you will leave this room until somebody rings your dad, okay."

"Okay, Mommy."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Maria left the motel room and drove away. It was too late to change her mind now. She had paid Tim 10,000dollars to help her and he was already working on his part.

She drove to the nearest bar and went in. She waited nervously at the bar for somebody that she could talk to.

After 10 minutes, and two neat whiskeys, a man came over.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Not particularly," she said.

"How did you get that?" he said, pointing to the black eye.

She started telling him the story that she and Tim had concocted.

Her husband had hit her when she tried to leave and it wasn't the first time he had done it; she had left the kids somewhere where they would be safe and now she was on her way back to tell him that it was over.

She hoped that this would work, that the missing persons unit would find this guy and he would tell them what she told him.

……………………

Maria was waiting in the alley across the street, watching her apartment building.

Jack would be leaving for work soon. Tim had drained most of the gas from Jack's car so he would have to stop and fill it up, which would make him late for work.

She had used her copy of the key to get into his car, cut her arm and left blood in the trunk.

She saw Jack leave the building and drive away.

She ran across the street and went into their apartment.

As quickly and as quietly as she could, she made it look as though the argument she had with Jack had got out of control.

She ran out of the building, making as much noise as possible so that at least one person would hear her.

Outside, she got into her car and drove after Jack.

A few blocks away, as arranged, she fell into place behind a car that was identical to Jack's; same make, model, color, and fake plates with Jack's number.

Driving the car was a carefully chosen friend of Tim's. Maria smiled.

From a distance, it certainly looked like Jack at the wheel of his own car.

She pulled her car around in front of it and got out.

She began shouting at the driver, making sure that she called him Jack at least once, before she climbed in and they drove off.

……………………

The real licence plates were back on the car and now Maria was heading out of the city in it.

She was thinking of what she had done. She was glad that she was making him pay for hurting her.

There were two things that bothered her.

Firstly, it had only just begun to sink in that she was leaving Hannah and Kate. Even if she and Jack were through, they were still her children. She didn't even know where they were. Had Jack taken them back to the office?

Had they witnessed their father being treated as a suspect in a murder investigation?

Or had they been looked after by another member of the team?

Samantha?

That was the other thing that was bothering her: Samantha.

Yes, she was getting her revenge on Jack, but she was letting Samantha get away with it.

She slammed the brakes on and did a u-turn, heading in the direction of FBI head quarters.

……………………

Maria pulled up outside the building. She had seen the appeal on the news, so she knew that she was officially a missing person and she would not get clearance into the building without them alerting the missing persons unit.

She looked in through the front window. There were two receptionists at work. She knew one of them from the times she had come to visit Jack, but she had never seen the other one.

She waited outside until the one that she knew left and went in.

Maria asked her to call Samantha Spade down and, while she waited, she stepped away from the desk in case anybody recognised her.

When she saw Samantha standing by the front desk, she ran at her, knocking her to the ground.

Samantha screamed.

……………………

A/N Again, sorry it took so long. Writers block came back! Anyway, only one more chapter to go after this. So, while you're waiting for the final instalment (which I will try and write quicker!), review this one. Pretty, pretty please. With a cherry on top.


	10. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: only the story is mine. Wish Danny was as well.

Well, here it is, the final chapter. And my last chance to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed. They were very much appreciated. As will all the reviews for this chapter. Hint, hint!

……………………

Before Martin had a chance to say anything else, he heard Samantha scream.

"Samantha? Samantha?"

Danny turned to Martin.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know. We were talking and she screamed," Martin said as he slammed the phone down and the two agents ran towards the elevator.

After a moment spent furiously banging on the call button, he gave up and headed for the stairs, with Danny following.

They arrived in reception just in time to see Samantha overpowering Maria.

"Danny, handcuffs," said Samantha. "Maria Malone, I'm arresting you for assaulting a federal officer."

Samantha led her to the elevator as she reeled off the rest of the Miranda Rights, Danny and Martin behind her.

When they were back on their floor, Martin whispered something to Danny, who quickly walked away. Martin looked at Samantha and she nodded in understanding.

Danny ran into the interrogation room.

"Jack, follow me," he said.

Jack stood up and followed.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

Danny opened the door to one of the side rooms.

"Wait here."

Jack walked in and Danny left, shutting the door. Jack shouted after him, but got no reply.

Danny signalled to Martin that the room was free and Samantha led Maria down the corridor.

Danny went over to Viv's desk.

"Where have you been?" asked Viv. "And where are Martin and Sam?"

"They're in the interrogation room. With Maria."

"Maria Malone?"

"Yep. She just showed up."

"Where's she been?"  
Danny shrugged. "I guess we'll find out soon."

……………………

Jack was, yet again, alone in a room and pacing. It seemed like he had done a lot of that today.

He just wanted to go home and look after his girls. If something had happened to his wife, then he needed to be there for them. He needed to take care of them, help them understand what had happened. He knew what it was like to loose a parent. His own mother had died when he was 16 and he knew how hard it was to accept that she was gone. Hannah and Kate were even younger. They were going to need him more than they ever had before.

He couldn't stop wondering what had happened to Maria.

Where was she? _How _was she? Had she been murdered? And, if so, by who? And why were they trying to frame him?

These were just a few of the questions that kept popping into his mind and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't find the answers. He wanted to know where she was so desperately.

She might have left him but he still loved her. He always would. She had given him two children that he loved more than anything. She would always be an important part of his life.

He couldn't stand the thought that something might have happened to her.

……………………

Samantha sat down with Viv and Danny at the conference table, sighing with frustration as she flopped into the chair.

"I thought you were interviewing Maria," said Danny.

"She refused to answer any questions with me in the room," she said.

"Did she say anything before you left?" asked Viv.

"Just that she wanted me out. And a few words that I don't really want to repeat. What did you tell Jack, anyway?"

"Nothing yet. I figured we should wait until we knew what was going on."

"So he still believes we think he murdered her?"

"Yes. But at least he's out of our way."

"I guess."

The three of them sat, barely speaking, for nearly three quarters of an hour, until Martin joined them.

"What did she say?" asked Sam.

……………………

Viv walked into the room where Jack was waiting.

"Maria just showed up," she said.

"What?" asked Jack. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine."

"Can I see her?"

"Jack, she was the one that was trying to set you up."

"What?"

"Apparently she wanted to get back at you for having an affair. So she and one of her clients cooked up this plan to frame you for her murder. She's been arrested and we're about to charge her."

"What are the charges?"

"Wasting police time, attempting to pervert the course of justice, impeding a federal investigation, child endangerment and assaulting a federal officer."

"Assaulting a federal officer?"

"She got Samantha called down to reception and attacked her."

"Is Sam okay?"

"Yeah. She hit her elbow on the ground when she fell, but she's fine."

"I guess that means I'm free to go, then."

"Yes."

Jack stood up and went to the door.

"Jack."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

Jack gave her a half-hearted smile and left.

……………………

Jack walked into the office. It was the first time he had been in since Maria's arrest three days previously. He was just coming out of a meeting with Van Doren and was on his way to see the team to tell them what was happening.

The team waited nervously at the conference table. This was the first time they had seen Jack since they had wrongfully arrested him for murdering his wife.

Samantha had also had a meeting with Van Doren that morning to discuss her penalty for having a relationship with Jack. She had been put on probation for 3 months and she silently prayed that Jack was treated as leniently.

Jack joined them at the table.

"How did it go?" asked Martin.

"She said that I knew the risks of the relationship and that normally it would at least get me demoted. But, considering what Maria did and the fact that I was arrested for something I didn't do, she offered me 6 months probation."

"That's great," said Viv.

"I turned it down."

"What?" asked Sam, shocked. "Why?"

"I'm taking a three month suspension instead and then a demotion. The girls need me. They don't really understand what's happened. They're having trouble getting their heads round Maria going to prison. So I'm going to use the suspension to be there for them 24/7 and then I'm standing down as a supervising agent. The hours are too long and I need to be home as much as possible."

"What about Maria?" asked Danny. "Do you know what's gonna happen to her?"

"She's in jail at the moment, awaiting a bail hearing."

"Do you think they'll grant bail?" asked Sam.

"I don't know. And, to be honest, I hope they don't. She'll only want to see the girls and I don't want her to."

"Can you do that?" asked Viv. "Stop her seeing them? She is their mother."

"I have a court appointment tomorrow, which my lawyer assures me is just a formality, and then I will have sole custody of them. If I don't want her to see them, she doesn't see them."

It was clear to the team that Jack wasn't angry with Maria for what she had done to him, but for what she had done to Hannah and Kate. He would do anything to protect his children and if that meant stopping them from seeing their mother, then so be it.

"Anyway," he said. "My suspension is effective immediately. Van Doren wants to talk to you, Viv, about taking over in my absence."

Viv nodded silently.

"Well, that's everything. See you in three months, I guess."

"See you in three months," said Viv, smiling.

Danny, Martin and Samantha all said their goodbyes and Jack went home.

He could tell that they had all felt uneasy around him over what had happened. But he didn't feel there was any need for that.

Vivian had stepped up and taken charge at a moments notice and she had treated him as both a friend and a suspect.

Danny had trusted the evidence that he had in front of him and interviewed Jack in the way he would interview any suspect.

Martin and Samantha had never stopped believing in him and had been determined to help prove his innocence.

They had been presented with an extremely difficult case and they handled it with the same professionalism with which they would handle any case.

The truth was, he was proud of them.

Of course, he wasn't going to tell them that.

Not just yet.

……………………


End file.
